Why Sara Came Back
by ILoveJorja
Summary: Why did Sara Sidle return to CSI without her husband?
1. Chapter 1

Why Sara Came Back

Friendship. Gil G./ Sara S with Julie Finlay. Set in late Season 13, post Forget Me Not, but referring to Family Affair 10x1. Rated K.

_Why did Sara return to CSI without her husband?_

Sara Sidle shifted uncomfortably, smoothing her skirt and wondering for the hundredth time why the courtroom benches were so hard. _Hundredth? _She thought, then calculated quickly. _I've worked 3,701 cases here in Las Vegas. Another 235 in San Francisco – the benches were no more comfortable there. Of those, I probably testified in approximately a third of them, the ones that made it to trial. And I complained, many times, if only in my mind, of how painful hard wooden benches feel after hours of waiting to be called inside. So that's 3,936 divided by…_

"May I join you?" Julie Finlay's voice broke into her calculations. She too was dressed for court.

"Sure," Sara said warmly, sliding over to one side for the other CSI to join her.

"What were you smiling at?" Sara explained. They shared a quiet laugh.

"Yes, the benches in Seattle were just as rock-hard. If you start calculating how many weeks or months we've spent sitting outside courtrooms, I may seriously get depressed, though," Finn commented.

Sara chuckled. "Good point."

The blonde looked thoughtful. "Hm, 3,936 cases. I've probably worked close to that too. When did you make CSI 3?"

"2001. December. I was a Level 2 when I came from Frisco in September 2000."

"October 2000 for me," Finn replied. "And you became a CSI in?"

"July 1998. Fresh out of grad school."

"Same here. May 1997. So I've got a year on you, but I'd say we are close. Of course I didn't work as a CSI for 18 months, after DB…"

"Fired you?" Sara filled in, not unkindly.

"Yeah. Fired me." Julie Finlay shrugged. "So we can subtract that."

"I walked away from the job too," Sara commented. "Burned out. Went down in flames, really. Left a letter for Grissom at the reception desk and hopped a plane. I was gone from November 2007 until September 2009."

"Maybe we both needed a break," Finlay said thoughtfully.

"I know I did. But the way I did it? That still bothers me. I hurt Gil badly. I broke his heart, after I'd gone…after we'd _both_ gone through so much to get together…" she trailed off sadly.

After a few moments she pulled herself together and continued. "Well, I came back for Warrick's funeral, but that doesn't really count." Sara paused, looking sad and pained, thinking of that difficult time. "That was October 2008. I wasn't ready to come back to the Las Vegas Crime Lab and Gil wasn't ready to leave. We had a conversation about a case that turned into one about our relationship. He can be kind of…passive aggressive. He won't just come out and say something like, 'You hurt me. I'm not ready to forgive you. You're going to leave me again so just _go._' No, he talks around a subject. 'Maybe he needed her to leave him,' that's what he said. 'If a relationship doesn't move forward, it withers.' Sara quoted with her fingers. "So I did. I left again, and had no idea he would come after me just 3 months later. I honestly thought it was over. It wasn't the first time he'd chosen his job over me."

Finn narrowed her eyes but made no comment.

Sara tucked a curl behind her ear and continued with a trace of bitterness. "Everyone thinks he is a big hero for leaving his job for love, for me, but Grissom burned out too. He told me time and again that everyone in this job does, eventually. Catherine told me how much he lost interest, became sad and unfocused, and looked old and tired. He needed to leave to save himself. Just like I did. I would have self-destructed if I'd stayed. But he did it the right way. Gave his notice. Hired a new guy. Cleared his desk, closed his last case, and took an early retirement."

Finn was listening closely as Sara continued. "I know it was a long time ago, but I left everything for him once. He called me, I came running. I left a pretty nice life in San Francisco to be with Gil. I'd do it again, no question, but sometimes that part of the story gets forgotten. We've known each other over 15 years now but we've only been together as a couple for less than 3 years. Under the same roof and sharing a bed. It seems like we are always saying goodbye to each other. I'm not justifying how I left but there are 2 sides to every story. More than that, to every love story!"

Sara blew out a breath and continued her confession. "I hurt my team, my friends, their feelings, leaving without warning or goodbye. I felt so guilty. It was one of the reasons I came back."

"Why did you come back?" Finn asked, looking interested.

"Lots of reasons. Practicality. But we'll get to that. Gil found me in the jungle of Costa Rica in January of 2009. It was very romantic. We got married on January 29th, a week after he walked into the clearing and kissed me!"

Finn raised her eyebrows and Sara smirked back.

"That was a good place for us. We were both free and together and living in daylight in the wild with living creatures. But it couldn't last. The research study was only funded for 6 months. The research director was a well-known French professor, and he had to return for the spring semester. He and Gil hit it off right away. When Professor leSalle returned to the Sorbonne, he arranged for Dr Grissom to lecture there too, for a semester-long seminar."

"From the jungle to the city? Paris?"

"Yes. More romance! Of course you know it is a great honor to be invited to lecture at a world class university," Sara said proudly. "As a forensic entomologist he is in demand. And his seminar proved so popular he was invited to stay another year."

Finn nodded, listening closely.

"An honor, but not a well-paid job. Paris is terribly expensive. I couldn't get a work visa. I had just spent most of a year learning Spanish, and was thrown into the French-speaking world. I worked at it, and got fairly fluent, but still couldn't work legally. Meanwhile we had our big house in Las Vegas sitting empty. The housing market had tanked and there were no buyers. We bought during the boom and couldn't sell during the bust. The bank could have foreclosed, and we would have lost everything. The mortgage needed to be paid, and the property taxes too, and someone had to keep the place running. Gil has a pension and savings but it goes fast when you spend more than you earn."

Finn nodded. "Very true."

Sara continued. "I was a volunteer on the Sea Shepherd and then at that study in Costa Rica, so that cut into my savings as well. I hadn't earned a dime since I walked off the job. And since I left CSI voluntarily, I wasn't eligible for unemployment compensation and I lost my health insurance and 401k. I've got another 25 years to go to collect Social Security! We're both in good health now, thank God, but he's quite a bit older than me. We need to be in a good position financially when he's no longer able to travel so much or work in the field. Now he's on my health insurance policy. "

"I understand. Being without health insurance is no joke. It sounds like you thought all this through."

"We both did. It wasn't an easy decision. We spent that summer getting proposals ready for a research grant," the brunette CSI continued. "As well as having another honeymoon in Central America. Hey, just because we were scouting research facilities and projects, it didn't mean we couldn't have fun!"

Finn and Sara exchanged a knowing look and a grin.

"We took canoe rides to look for bugs. Went up in the forest canopy to identify birds and butterflies. Lived rough, but we were in love and it was all part of the adventure," Sara continued, smiling fondly. "Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala…beautiful places, with such important work to do. If our grant had been funded, that's where we would be now."

She sighed. "But I try not to dwell on that kind of thinking. If we only…if this or that had happened, you know? We went back to Paris and Grissom went back to the lecture hall. I hoped I would have better luck in America, in the same time zones, pleading for a grant and filling out paperwork and meeting with the right people. There's only so much you can do from thousands of miles away. But it's been one rejection after another."

Sidle shrugged. "What choice did I have? We had talked about it even before Ecklie called. I knew this job inside and out. It doesn't make us rich but it pays better than starting from scratch at something else." Sara shook her head ruefully.

"The CSI they hired when I left, Riley, quit when she and Catherine butted heads. Warrick was killed, I left, and then Grissom retired. And then Riley. The grave shift was dangerously overworked. They hired Dr Langston…did you ever meet him?" Sara asked.

"No," Finn answered. "I never met Warrick, Grissom, Langston, Catherine or Riley. It's a little like starting to watch a popular TV show years after it started. I'm still trying to figure out the different characters."

"Ha, I like that analogy. Well, then, it's a lot to catch up on." Sara looked at her closely. "I'm not boring you, am I?"

"No, no, not at all!" Finn said emphatically. "This story is fascinating."

Sara gave a chuff of laughter. "Good. I'm glad. I guess…I need to tell someone this story, who doesn't know all of them, any of them, and who doesn't idolize Grissom or think I'm crazy to be apart from him, or miss him as a best friend. He's so revered around the lab that inevitably I end up as the bad guy."

"You're a good person, Sara. No matter what."

Sara gave Finn a warm smile. "Thanks. You are too. Now, where were we?"

"Doctor…what was his name?"

"Ray Langston. Right. He had been a pathologist, and then a professor and Grissom offered him a job when he was leaving. So he had no experience as a CSI. He was brilliant, and caught on quickly, but they were down to just 3 experienced CSIs.

Ecklie called and asked if I knew anyone who could take Riley's place. It all seemed to make sense. At our age we can't live out of a suitcase. The older you get the more you accumulate. Once the teaching job ended, we didn't know where we would go next, so we'd essentially be homeless. Plus paying for a house we weren't living in couldn't last. Gris has a wonderful library and papers and delicate specimens, for one thing, and we can't drag that all over the world. Grissom can get consulting work and go almost anywhere, but it's usually for a stipend or on a limited government grant. Someone needs to support that. Support that…lifestyle."

"And that someone was you," Finn supplied.

"Yes. I'm the breadwinner. I'm keeping the home fires burning. I'm doing the only real job I've ever done since I finished college. "

"And you do a brilliant job."

"Thank you. I missed my friends here. I don't have much family, and I found one here. So there is no other crime lab that I wanted to work for. I had enough time to get my head together, and marrying Gil gave me stability and support. I never thought I'd be a CSI again, but when I started it was like I had never left."

"So you came back because…"

"I came back to support my husband. I want him to be happy. I'd rather we were happy _together_ but we can't always get what we want."

Chapter 1 of A/N: Don't worry, this story is not a WIP, and is near completion. The other chapters just need some tweaking, and I'd like to get some feedback before they are posted. It may be dull, all this talk talk and no action, but I always think there is more to Sara's story than will ever be explained on screen. So I need to explore her motivations. Get into her head to get it out of mine, you could say. Reviews are very welcome indeed!


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO: Why Sara Came Back

_How could Sara stay?_

"Don't you deserve to be happy, Sara?" Julie Finlay asked gently.

Sara started to answer but stammered to a halt. "I…" She tried again. "That's not something…not something I've come to expect, to be honest. Not to sound pitiful, but I haven't had a very happy life. My childhood was screwed up. And I've been through some significant trauma in my adulthood. I've been happy for short periods of time, but…in my experience it doesn't last."

Finn reached around Sara's shoulder and gave her a sympathetic squeeze. Sara curled her fingers around Julie's hand and squeezed back in gratitude.

"Tell me about when you were happy."

"When Gil and I…when he finally admitted he had feelings for me, and we started dating. That was a golden time and a dream come true. It only took 6 years!"

"Six years, from…?

"From when I moved here from San Francisco."

Finn sat back and gave her a look of surprise and a low whistle. "Then it really must have been hard to leave in the first place," Julie said. "Because you and Grissom were together."

"It was and it wasn't. I had a…mental breakdown. I'm sure you know about that serial killer, and my 'ordeal,' right?" Sara asked.

"That nutcase who made miniatures of her crime scenes? Yes, I've read about that. Even in Seattle it was a top story," the blonde CSI answered.

"Huh. I suppose. It's not what I would have chosen to be known for, but it happened. It was a near thing. Another few hours and I would have died of exposure out there in the desert." Sara paused, remembering. Finn was respectfully silent. "I broke my arm in 2 places, and I was in rough shape from dehydration and heat stroke. But once my body healed…my mind didn't. I kept seeing Natalie in every shadow. Kept dreaming about her, and waking up screaming. So I stopped sleeping completely. And that makes a mind unravel pretty quickly. PTSD and deep depression and…well, let's just say there is a history of mental illness in my family."

"Mental illness runs in a lot of families. I don't know anyone whose life has not been touched by it in some way," Julie said sympathetically.

"I'm glad you understand," Sara responded, with a thin smile. "It's my mother. She is in a care facility now in Nevada. I moved her here from California. That's another reason to stay and make a steady income. Those places are really expensive. Or they are horrible snake pits run by the state…"Sara trailed off, remembering the hellhole she had rescued Laura from. "Hey, here's something about me not many people know."

"What's that?" Finn asked, thinking herself lucky to learn so much from such a private person.

"My last name, Sidle. It's my mother's maiden name. My father was abusive. When he died, my mother and I both changed our names back."

"Huh. So you chose not to take Grissom's name either?"

"I considered it, but really, there is only one Grissom in the lab. No one can compare to him or replace him. It didn't feel right answering my phone as 'Grissom.' Really I wanted to be known as CSI Sidle, not just as his wife."

"Got it." Julie nodded.

"Gil and I had been romantically involved for 2 years, and no one knew, but when I was kidnapped it came out. One of us had to change shifts. So we were apart, even though we were together, when I needed him most! Sometimes our shifts would overlap, but mostly we were like ships in the night." Sara blew out a breath, shaking her head. "I swore I'd never come back. I never would have believed I could do this work again. I needed help, and when I found some professional help it saved me. Then Grissom told me Natalie hanged herself in prison. That gave me a sliver of sanity. It is a challenge, don't get me wrong. It's a challenge to myself to conquer that fear. Overcome being the victim…and not give up or run away again. When we get a really tough case I tell myself I didn't give up, that day, out there in the desert. Nothing can be worse than that day. Sometimes it seems we don't make a difference…"

"But we have to believe we do make a difference," Julie broke in. "It's important work we do, Sara."

"I agree. Grissom and I…we had synchronicity on the job. I loved working with him, and I miss him. But sometimes…he was judgmental, or oblivious to everything around him but the case. Sometimes he criticized me for getting involved emotionally in my cases. In fact that was one of the last things he said to me, before I walked off the job."

"What did he say?"

"Sometimes…a case can get under your skin." Sara said, making air quotes. "But you can't let it make you feel bad."

"Hm. It sounds like he was trying to be supportive," Finn supplied. "But at the same time it is kind of…condescending…is that the word?"

"Yes! Thank you." Sara said emphatically. "This was after we worked shoulder to shoulder for seven years. I'm a woman. I can't help getting emotional!"

"Damn hormones," Finn joked, and they shared a sisterly laugh.

"It's tough to work for your boyfriend, you know? Well you sort of know, dating Detective Moreno…"

"Yeah, that was a train wreck, wasn't it?" Finn smirked and rolled her eyes. "But I wasn't living with him. And he was a cop, not my supervisor."

"Exactly," Sara agreed. "He and I are stubborn, and I have a temper, and sometimes we got into it about the job and sometimes that spilled over into our home life. You can't just flip a switch when you go home. So…in a way…it's easier for me to do this job without Supervisor Grissom looking over my shoulder. Catherine let me work with my personality, not in spite of it."

"Interesting."

"I always _always _worked for Grissom's approval. I did everything but set fire to his chair to get him to notice me! If he gave me a compliment or a smile I'd be doing cartwheels all the way home!" The CSIs chuckled. "With Catherine supervising, and now D.B., I feel more like...an equal. More stable emotionally. And as an old-timer I can boss the newbies like you around."

Finn smiled at the jibe. "Nah. You're not bossy. Supportive, yes."

"Thank you. No offense, but you got a little bossy during that multiple at Frank's Diner."

"I did?" the blonde CSI asked.

"Yeah. You told us all to clear out so you could work the blood spatter," Sara told her calmly.

"Oh. I did, you're right. Sorry."

"It's okay. Just thought I'd mention it, while we're on the subject." Sara shrugged. "Now I can…could…tell Grissom anything, without his criticism. All about my day, my cases, how I'm feeling and the funny little things that happen. He can tell me about his life too, in our marathon phone calls and Skype conversations and texts and emails. We've fallen out of that habit, but if he and I both worked at it again? I think it would make a big difference. "

"So your marriage isn't over?" Julie Finlay asked.

"No," Sara shook her head decisively. "It's not. No way. We're not divorced or even formally separated. I see it as a major setback, sure, but I have to believe in fixing it. I believe in _us_. It's only gone downhill these past few months. He started dodging my calls and I admit I did the same. He was being very abrupt and cold when we finally connected. Something happened that he won't talk about. And it started at the same time that bastard Basderic was stalking me and trying to destroy me. You can't tell me that's just a coincidence!"

Finn nodded in agreement. "You're right. Nick and Greg and I did figure out that he was hacking into your emails."

"Yes, he told me the same, to my face. And he claimed to have Grissom's number on speed dial. Who knows what lies he was feeding my husband?"

"I can only imagine."

"It's going to take some work to repair, no doubt about it. Gil's in a very remote location now. He doesn't even know about my being framed for Taylor's murder, not the whole story anyway. Communication is spotty. It would take days to reach his work station. When he gets back to civilization I'm going to go see him and we will talk this out."

"Sounds like that's what you need to do."

"Yeah. I've worked too hard to keep us together before. And I'm not giving up without a fight this time either. I have to hang on to that hope. And I can only hope that if we were happy once, we can be happy again."

2 of 3

A/N Thank you for your reviews! It's been such a long time since I heard from some of you. Each one is much appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE: Why Sara Came Back

_What about Grissom?_

Julie got the conversation started again. "It seems to me if you can't leave, why doesn't Grissom come back?"

"Yeah. That seems obvious, doesn't it?" Sara asked tartly. "It's not…it's just not that simple. You have no idea how many times I've been asked, 'When's Grissom coming back? Where is he? Why don't you live together?' by everyone from the secretaries to the sheriff. Let alone my mother-in-law! Oof!"

"I had two of those. Mothers-in-law. Neither of them ever thought I did anything right," Finn responded.

"You got it. You should see her scowl at me for neglecting her little boy! You know, the 50 something-year-old man I married? There's an additional communication barrier because she's deaf, and I'm still learning sign language."

Finn looked surprised.

"Yes. We manage, but it's not easy. She goes on and on about our sex life!"

"You're kidding. Really?"

Sara nodded at her with a Sidle smirk.

"I suppose I should be glad the mothers of husband #1 and husband #2 never did that!" They shared a sympathetic laugh.

"That's one part of our life that doesn't need fixing. It really is like a honeymoon when we get together. Every time." They grinned at each other.

"I know she'd rather Gil came back. She sold her house and gallery in California to move here and work at Gilbert College, and then he left. Naturally she blames me for that as well." Sara shook her head. "They have a wonderful relationship. He's a good son, and you really _can_ tell a lot about a man by how he treats his mother. But the difficulties he has with open communication partly stem from growing up in their silent house."

"What about Grissom's father?"

"He died when Gil was just a boy. It was just the two of them. No siblings." Julie nodded sympathetically.

"I know my life is unconventional, and our marriage is unconventional, but it worked. It really did, for a long time. But then our dog got sick."

"Aww, I know how hard that is. What kind of dog?"

"A boxer. Hank. Such a wonderful dog. Grissom got him from a rescue, so we didn't know how old he was exactly, but he was about 13. He was always my husband's dog. Here, I've got a picture." Sara pulled out her phone and scrolled through her photos. "There we are in Costa Rica…on the beach…in front of our tent…at the little mission church where we were married. Here's Grissom on the balcony in Paris. And here's Hank." Finn peered over her shoulder, sitting close, and exclaiming compliments at the rapidly scrolling pictures.

"A friend in the LVPD was keeping him for us. I took him home when I started back at CSI. I got the diagnosis from the vet in early August 2011. Gil flew back and we nursed him in our big house, but he went downhill fast. Cancer. He was just riddled with tumors. Anything he ate went straight through him, and then he got so weak, and wouldn't take any interest in food…" Sara stammered to a halt, her eyes watery. Finn rubbed her shoulder encouragingly. "He died in my arms. Gil held me and I held Hank on the blanket in the backyard, and the vet gave him the needle…" she trailed off again.

Finn dug out a pack of tissues and they shared a teary moment.

"My big boy. When he died, Gil took it hard. Hank was there for Gil when I left, and was so happy when we came back. Having our dog here was a pull for Grissom to visit. We could be in this little romantic cocoon together. Our little family snuggled up at home. I kept it secret when he was in town because everyone in the lab would have wanted to monopolize his attention. But when our dog died and Gil came home for a visit I could tell he was reminded of that loss. He hasn't stayed that long since."

"I'm sure he didn't just visit to see the dog," Julie said kiddingly.

Sara smiled. "No, I hope he wanted to see me too!" She continued in a very soft voice, "It's not just the sex. We really are good together."

They were silent for a few minutes.

"Thank you for telling me your story," Julie said. "I have a better understanding now. From what you've said, I can tell you love your husband very deeply, and have been willing to sacrifice for his behalf. He doesn't sound like the kind of man to take that for granted?"

"He's not. Grissom is an honorable man and I trust him."

"I'm sorry I ever doubted you, Sara. You would never cheat on him, would you?"

"No."

"No offense, but would he ever…?" Finn asked hesitantly.

"Cheat on me?" Sara replied immediately, obviously having considered this before. "No. I mean, I'd like to think it would never ever happen, but…he's human. If Ronald Basderic convinced him that _I_ was having an affair, would he stray just to get back at me? No. He's not that petty. Or spiteful, you know? He has too much integrity for that. He kept saying we should go our separate ways 'for your own good,' and 'I have your best interests in mind' as if he was doing the right thing by me. I kept trying to tell him that this is breaking my heart, that he's the one and only, and splitting up was the _last thing_ I want to happen, but I was crying so hard by then I don't know if he could understand me. "

"I'm sorry," Finn said softly.

"Yeah. I'm sorry too," Sara said shakily, digging out a tissue and dabbing at her moistening eyes again. "Ah, the tears I have shed over that man! It hurts, and I miss him so. I wish I had never said some things. I wish I hadn't made it sound like I was giving up or complained so much about being lonely…it's hard."

"You can't always say the exactly the right thing."

"No, you can't." Sara sniffed and then blew her nose.

"It sounds like you are beating yourself up," Finn commented.

"I am. I always do! I wish I knew how to fix this. How to convince Gil to give me another chance. Give us another chance."

"You can do it," Finn said earnestly.

"I suppose."

"No. You _will_ do it, Sara. You two are soul mates, am I right?"

Sara met her eyes, seeking reassurance. "Yes. Soul mates."

"My exes weren't, neither one of them. Sure, I loved them at the time, and I was devastated when we got divorced, but I didn't have what you have."

"I'm still wrestling with how to resolve our dilemma. I'll do whatever it takes. I'd rather see Gil only part of the year than never be with him again. That's for sure. If I can convince him of that, then I have a chance to heal us."

Julie took her hand and squeezed it. "I believe you can do it."

Sara considered this, then spoke hesitantly. "Did you ever…do you know what I mean when I say I forget what Gil is, when we're apart for a long time?"

"I'm not sure."

"It's like…I can picture him, in my mind's eye. I can remember what his voice sounds like, if I think of a certain phrase he liked to use. But I forget…how _real_ he is. How warm and solid. His scent. The softness of his hands. Just how handsome he is. How animated he can be, when he's enthused about something, how he glows! He has an aura, a presence. But most of all…how he radiates love," she finished shyly.

"Hang on to that, Sara. Concentrate on that."

"Concentrate on what cannot lie. The evidence," Sara quoted. "That's one of those phrases that brings back the sound of Grissom's voice. He would say that all the time. You're right, Finn. That's what I need to do."

Sara stood up and looked around, as if she'd forgotten where she was. "I better make sure I look presentable for court," she explained. "I'll be right back."

"I'll be here in case the bailiff comes looking," Finn offered. Sara walked briskly to the ladies room, washed her face and cleaned off the smeared mascara, and then reapplied her makeup. She used the facilities and washed her hands and rubbed some lotion on them. Then she detoured to the vending machine and got two cups of coffee and gave one to her friend.

Sara picked up the thread of the conversation. "The thing they all don't understand about why Grissom doesn't come back is…he's the happiest he's ever been. He looks younger and more at ease than he did 10 years ago! He's tanned, thinner, rested, without the weight of the lab and the shift and the team on his shoulders. He's a pure scientist, and a gifted teacher, not a bureaucrat or a politician. Never will be one of those." She took a sip of coffee.

"The work he does now is important. He's helped out different labs all around the world study Colony Collapse Disorder in bees, for one thing. If bees go extinct it would be catastrophic to the environment and our food supply. I'm sure you've heard about that?"

Julie nodded. "Yes. I just read recently that 45% if the American bee population died last year. I see what you mean."

Sara brightened at her understanding. "He also did some forensic investigation of mass graves in Bosnia, and at an archeological dig in Peru. Then there is the vector control work he's doing in Central Africa, at the moment. If we can turn the corner on controlling the population of mosquitoes and the spread of disease by interrupting their life cycle in an environmentally responsible way, think of the difference that could make!"

"That could save thousands of lives," Julie said admiringly.

"Yes! That stemmed from a seminar he did at Williams College, on the seasonal fluctuations of mosquito populations at Walden Pond. There are only a few scientists in the world that can work at the level Grissom does. Do you see?"

"I do."

"So when I am asked, why doesn't he come back and teach at WLVU? It's all I can do not to blow up at them! This is a man who is invited to lecture at the Sorbonne, at Harvard, at Oxford, at Berkeley and Yale. WLVU is a second-rate State School. Should he give all that up to teach remedial biology to jocks?"

"Of course not."

"It would be like…taking a highly trained racehorse and having him haul coal in a mine. Or putting a rocket scientist to work scrubbing dishes," Sara said emphatically. "He's doing what he was born to do."

Their conversation was interrupted as the courtroom doors swung open. A bailiff appeared. "CSI Sidle? We're ready for you now."

Both women stood and Sara smoothed down her dress suit and hair. Julie gave her the once-over and nodded that she looked okay. She brushed some lint from Sara's shoulder and let her hand linger.

"Be strong, Sara. Don't give up."

"I won't." They shared a hug and a thank you.

Sara gathered her files and picked up her briefcase. She stood tall and took a deep breath and they nodded to each other. Sara Sidle strode through the mahogany doors and they closed behind her. Julie Finlay sat down, crossed her legs, and lost herself in her thoughts.

THE END

A/N: Hm, this took a little more tweaking than I thought! It took a different direction today as well. The more I fiddle with it the more I want to change—but eventually you have to say, this is what it is, get it out there. I do feel more clarity about the status of GSR for having written this. I remain cautiously optimistic that there will be a happy ending—or an end to the heartache and a new beginning, that is. Thanks for reading and reviewing. You've written the kind of reviews I was hoping for. I thank you for each and every one. ILoveJorja


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